Sage of the Night
by dragonupghost145
Summary: One thousand years ago, when the Gargoyles fell into their long slumber, there was one man who was never mentioned before. One man who had proven to be as trustworthy as a member of their own clan. Most called him Sage, few called him friend, and Goliath called him brother. Watch as this man changes a story carved into the very stone itself.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Story Begins**

"_The Sage does not accumulate for himself. The more he uses for others, the more he has himself. The more he gives to others. the more he possesses of himself. The way of the sage is to act but not to compete."_

_\- Lou Tzu_

* * *

Scotland, 994 A.D. was a land ruled by wars, bandits, and other types of evils roaming the lands. Among all of the battles fought, one in particular stood above the rest, for it would change history forever. An army had formed just outside of Castle Wyvern and was looking to take it over for themselves. They had followed the refugees, that the castle had taken then not one night ago, and were now determined to take the castle for themselves. Hundreds of men stood just outside the castle walls, catapults were firing large stones, and the leader among them was just crazy enough to try and do this at sunset. He believed that the night we give his men the advantage to sneak in, but little did he know what would happen when the sun finally went down.

Another large rock was launched at the castle, this time breaking off a large chunk of it and sending several archers to their deaths. High above the raging battle, as if glaring down at the unsuspecting prey, were no less than thirty stone gargoyles. Yet while most wore a fierce look, the one at the top war expression as cold as the stone he was made of.

"Stand fast men, we can hold them back!" yelled the Captain of the Guard, an iron mace held in one hand and a steel sword held in the other.

Yet, as the men defending bickered among themselves on how outnumbered they were, one of the main doors to the castle opened and out stepped a man. Dressed in pure white ropes, with a Buddhist ring staff in hand, and I so old that they would be mistaken for an old man's eyes. Yet this person was young, but the way the men hushed around him gave a small sign of his importance. His spiky blond hair was like the rising sun, his skin was tan showing that he spent much time outside, and animallike whisker marks adorned his cheeks. He was Naruto Uzumaki and he was a man like no other.

"What's taking you so long, they have nearly tore down the castle itself!" the captain of the guard shouted, only for Naruto to suddenly appear right next to him as if he had always been there from beginning.

"Relax, my friend, I will go down and greet our guests until the rest of our friends wake up. It shouldn't be much longer now, so just have a bit more patience," it was simply amazing how commie could be in the face of such odds, yet men and steel were no threat to Naruto for he had a power unlike any other.

By now the enemy was beginning to climb the castle walls, leading them was their mad King and he was headed right for were in the leader of the Gargoyles slept. Naruto ignored those men, it was a larger army that he was more concerned about, and he would drive them way just like he had every other want to be conquerors. Holding his staff high into the air, six balls of violently rotating energy formed in the center of each of the six rings. Simply by pointing his staff at the Army, the six balls of energy shot off like demons, and slammed into the invading army.

Loud shrieks could be heard as Naruto's attack sent men flying into the air, but soon enough the sun had set and the fun was about to begin. As if called by some great hunt, thirty roars consume the night sky, the Gargoyles had awakened once more and had found men threatening their home. Naruto saw their leader, a massive grey skinned Gargoyle, holding up the enemy king by his arm.

"You're trespassing," the massive Gargoyle growled, his eyes narrowing at the man he held looked on in fright, causing him to swing his sword out of a sense of survival.

Without even hesitating, the massive winged monster caughted the sword, with his clawed hand, and let out another primal growl. Yet a trail of blood slipped down the steel blade, showing that the Gargoyles could be harmed.

"They are not invincible, men attack!" just like that the battle was back on and the clan of Gargoyles took to the sky.

Naruto continued to use the swirling orbs to rip apart the enemy army by the dozens, with each one rendering armor to nothing more than scrap metal. Having enough of such a long ranged fight, not to mention that they had managed to get inside the walls, Naruto opted for a more physical approach. Without even thinking twice, Naruto jumped off the very walls of the castle and into the swarming army. The fall alone would have killed a man, but Naruto landed with almost inhuman grace. The moment his staff touched the ground, a shock wave lashed out at the army before him, sending many men flying back.

Naruto then jabbed his staff into a man's chest, only for the man to literally turn to dust upon contact. Every time the tip of his staff touched a person that person turned to dust upon contact, leaving many to openly try and dodge him. It was only when the king himself sounded the retreat that they actually began to run for their lives. The archers continued to fire upon the retreating army until they were completely out of sight and Naruto simply watched from the foot of the castle. With no other reason to remain outside the castle, the blonde Uzumaki simply walked back up the castle walls, as if he was walking on flat ground. This wasn't an unusual sight, if the non interested looks of the soldiers were anything to go by.

"Well done, my friend, if it wasn't for you and the Gargoyles then we wouldn't have survived an army of that size," said the Captain of the Guard, patting Naruto on his shoulder while the grey skinned Gargoyle wrapped his injured hand in a white bandage.

"Goliath, have a good day's sleep?" Naruto asked the now name Goliath, who smiled at the shorter human.

"Indeed, although I had wished to not wake up to our home being under attack," Goliath said, a smile on his face as he placed his clawed hand on his mate's shoulder, giving her the same loving smile that he had whenever he looked at her.

"And you, Sage, what of your work today?" the female Gargoyle asked the young Uzumaki, having been intrigued by Naruto's strange power ever since he had first arrived at their home's front steps, half dead no less.

"My power is slowly returning, but I fear that I'm far from what I once was. Still, thank you for asking."

"Come, we have a victory feast to attend to and you lot shall be the guests of honor!" the Captain proclaimed, although deep down they all knew that their arrival would be would not be greeted with cheers from the other human's that occupied the castle.

The dining hall was filled with the laughter and cheers of those nobles that occupied the castle walls. At the head of the table was Princess Katharine herself, the beautiful gem of the castle, and possibly the most beautiful woman that any man had ever laid eyes upon. Seated to her right was the wizard known as Magus, who had long white hair, slender features, and sharp eyes. Naruto himself was seated on the right of the princess, having been given the position of her right hand after many years of helping when she needed it the most.

Naruto didn't fancy most of the foods at the table and was appalled at how most of those here lack the proper manners that such a dining hall deserves. As the Captain of the Guard took his seat, next to Naruto of course, Katharine herself turned to speak with the two of them.

"Our thanks for a battle well fought, good Captain," Katharine thanked, her words soft and almost angelic to everyone in the room, but Naruto knew that would change far too soon.

"The credit is not mine to take, your highness, for without Goliath and his Gargoyles our defences would have proven useless," it was the truth of course, but the shocked looks on Katharine's and Magus's faces told Naruto that they didn't approve of the Gargoyles being mentioned at all.

"Please, don't mention that monster's name in my presence," at the word "monster" Naruto's eyes hardened ever so slightly and, just when he was about to protest to such things, the doors to the dining hall swung open with an almost dramatic flair.

Standing in the doorway was Goliath and his "Angle of the Night", both of which caused quite the stir, if the hushed whispers were anything to go by. It was no secret that everyone was afraid of the Gargoyles and, what most fear, they ended up hating them as well. Naruto, on the other hand, knew what it was like to be different and embraced them as fellow children of the Earth. Too bad not everyone was as understanding.

"Forgive me, your highness, I asked them to appear and be recognized for their bravery," the Captain explained, but even he could see what was going to happen next and braced himself for it.

"Captain, we are very much displeased, to allow _beasts_ into the dining hall!"

"You speak wisely princess, these are unnatural creatures, no good can come from associating with them," ah Magus, the ever present ass kisser.

"Can either of you even hear yourselves, so afraid of the unknown that you would damn them even when they help save their lives?!" Naruto shouted, slamming his hands onto the wooden table, with enough force to make it crack, while he glared up at the princess and the mage.

Titles aside, both the princess and the mage knew the power Naruto held at his fingertips and were not foolish enough to make an enemy of him. Speaking his mind was one of the reason's Katharine had chosen Naruto to be her right hand and also one of her biggest obstacles when his opinion went against her own. Yet, after Goliath had reached just a few feet from the young woman, he surprised everyone by tucking his wings around his neck and giving her a proper bow of respect.

"Goliath, I see we named you well, you're as good a soldier as the one who fought David!" the Captain laughed, placing his hand on Goliath's shoulder.

"You do well to remember that the Biblical Goliath was a bully and a savage!" Katharine pointed out, which only proved to provoke Goliath's mate, who hissed at the human woman and had her eyes turn a fiery red.

"If you will excuse us, your highness," was all Goliath said, after making sure his mate wouldn't attack the princess, before turning around and walking away, followed closely by Naruto himself.

As they walked through the stone hallways, Naruto could practically see the negative emotions radiating off of the female Gargoyle, who wouldn't have thought twice about maiming Katherine's face to the point that she wouldn't even be recognisable. This only proved to make her hate for human's to grow that much more and it was beginning to worry both Naruto and Goliath. However, soon enough the Captain caught up with them, since not even he felt welcome it the dining hall any longer.

"My apologies for this Goliath, you all deserved more than that," said the Captain, who fell into step next to Naruto.

"No apologies necessary, we are what we are and her opinion won't change that fact," what he said was true, that much Naruto was sure of, but not all among their group shared his opinion on the matter, namely his mate.

"Have you not pride, these hills belonged to us long before those _humans_ built their stone fortress! They should be bowing to us!" she hissed, her eyes flashing red once more.

"Would you have us bow along with them, would you make all humans bow before you just because a few of them are frightened of you?" Naruto inquired, his voice as soft as a whisper but as sharp as any blade, and that caused the female Gargoyle to pause and her rage to vanish.

"No, I do not wish for either of you too bow to us. Sigh, I'm sorry Sage," she apologized, only for Naruto to give her a kind smile and a few words of wisdom.

"Freedom and justice are the rights of all sentient beings. That is something I have come to believe above everything else."

"Wise words, my friend, but the night grows late and the two of you deserve your rest. Fear not for we shall not let the castle fall while you slumber," Goliath promised and his word was his bond, as was the way of every Gargoyle.

"Yes, I fear I may have overworked myself this night and am in need of much rest."

* * *

**Well I figured that, since I'm finally back from my overly long trip, I should bring back one of my old stories. Since the Naruto manga has finally ended, there won't be any more surprises and I can finally work my magic. So leave a review, if you please, telling me what you think and if you have any ideas for the next chapter. Also the chapters will be longer but this was just a little preview.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Change of Heart**

"_Betrayal can often come from the most unexpected of places, often places you never thought possible."_

_\- ?_

* * *

As Naruto awoke, he was greeting by the sight of the rising sun and the sound of birds chirping off in the distance. For a moment, just a single breathtaking moment, the sky itself looked as if it had been lit on fire. As Naruto got up and opened his rooms window, he could feel the sun's heat washing over his bare chest, warming him almost instantly. The morning air smelled like heaven, the bright blue sky gave hope to all those that would look up at it, and the morning had always spoken of new beginnings. With a satisfying sigh, the young Sage put on his robes, grabbed his staff, and walked out of his chambers.

Now most people would go down to the dining hall, to get some food before it was all gone, but Naruto's first stop was actually the very top of the castle. Standing there, taking a frightening and watchful pose, was the stone covered Goliath, the watchful protector of the castle. As Naruto placed a hand on Goliath's shoulder, he couldn't help but with the Gargoyle the best of dreams. Jumping over the stone edge, of where Goliath stood, Naruto landed next to the equally frightening form of Goliath's mate. Looking upon her threatening form, the young Sage couldn't help but recall the first time he had ever laid eyes upon them.

It was close to five years ago, even though it felt like five thousand years ago, and it had been a rather interesting experience. It had been in the morning when Naruto had been found, half dead, at the castle steps and night had befallen them by the time he awoke. It was Magus who had been told to look after him, to make sure that he survived his life threatening injuries, and it was Princess Katharine who had ordered it so.

"_Lie still, your injuries have yet to fully heal and my potions can only do so much," the much young Magus ordered, placing his hand on Naruto's chest the moment he tried to sit up from his bed._

"_Where am I, what is this place?" Naruto managed to croak out, his voice raspy and his throat completely dry from the lack of proper liquids in his body._

"_You are in Castle Wyvern, good sir, the guards found you almost dead just beyond the front gate. I dare say that you would not still be alive if their attentions had been elsewear. Tell me, if you would, how you came to bear such strange injuries. They resemble that of sword cuts but i know of no blades so wide that cut so smoothly," said the white haired mage, who found that closing such large wounds was much harder than normal sword wounds._

"_I can't remember… one moment I was fighting in a war and the next I was here, in this bed. Still, thanks for healing me," Naruto thanked, his connection with Kurama giving him the ability to sense negative emotions and he felt none coming from this man._

"_No thanks are needed, Princess Katharine ordered that you live and I simply made her wish a reality. Now please, you must rest for another hour before attempting to move around too much, I don't want you to reopen your wounds," Magus advice as he got up and left the chambers, but the moment he was gone was the moment Naruto got to his feet._

'_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! How the hell did I end up here?!' Naruto thought to himself as he moved about the room, doing his best not to aggravate his wounds any more than walking around already did._

_Not being one to stay in one spot, especially since he had no idea who had found him, Naruto opened the wooden door and poked his head out. Having been greeted by an empty hallway, Naruto decided that his next objective should be the stairs and that meant trying to get around without anyone noticing him. However, just as Naruto stepped out into the hallway, someone rounded the corner and spotted him._

"_What do you think your are doing human, how did you get in here," said the person, who was clearly a woman if her voice was anything to go by._

_However, the person before him looked like something Naruto had never seen in his entire life. The creature before him had blue grey skin, razor sharp claws, had bat like wings sporting out of her back, and wore two simple pieces of cloth to cover her modesty. It also didn't help that her eyes flashed red as she slowly approached him, apparently perceiving him as a threat, despite his injured state._

_Now Naruto's first reaction to a threat was to wipe it off the face of the earth, but he couldn't seem to mold his chakra as well as he could before. This left him with only one logical option...run for his life! In the blink of an eye, Naruto took off in the opposite direction to the strange woman and her menacing shreek was proof that she was hot on his heels._

"_Bad day, bad day, bad day!"_

Oh what a pleasant day that turned out to be, considering it could have turned out so much worse. In looking for a place to hide, Naruto had accidently barged into the dining hall, with the female Gargoyle still coming right after him, and was tackled to the ground in front of everyone there. Naruto would have laughed if he wasn't afraid Goliath's mate would have ripped him to pieces at the time. Now here he stands, admiring the creature that had tried to kill him on his first day to the castle, and couldn't imagine a life where the entire Gargoyle clan wasn't around.

"Why do you stand among the Gargoyles so, are your own kind so different that you would stand among stone instead of flesh and blood?" asked Princess Katharine, who had been watching Naruto from the doorway ever since he had first gone to see Goliath.

"Despite what you all may think of them, Goliath and his clan are not evil creatures, born from black wombs and set upon the world to do evil. They are mighty protectors that have pledged to guard those that fear and hate them. So yes, I often enjoy their company more than that of other humans," Naruto admitted, turning to face the princess as he spoke, only to find her giving him a soft look.

"We are right to fear them, they could kill us all if they wished. I wouldn't put my people in harms way by letting them stab us in the back," Katharine explained, her fears of the Gargoyles no doubt stretching back to when she was not but a young girl.

"Then you miss out on a friendship that could last a thousand lifetimes. I pitty you, that you have only taken the words of others as your truth, instead of looking for the truth yourselves. Try speaking to Goliath, not in front of your fellows but up here among the stars, and you may find they aren't the monsters you thought them to be," they were wise words, words to be taken to the heart, but words alone could not set aside fear.

"Then teach me, Sage, teach me to see them the way you do. Teach me to understand them like you do," Katharine commanded, having taken several steps forward until she had back Naruto up to the edge of the walls, leaving only a deadly drop for any chance of escape.

"What brought about this change of heart, why do you wish to understand them now of all times?" Naruto inquired, not completely sure as to what to do about Princess Katharine's closeness.

"When you gazed upon me last night, your eyes were hard and unkind. My heart clenches when you look at me like that and I cannot change who I am without help, yet I do not like that look either."

Her explanation caught Naruto off guard, none had ever requested his help because they wanted him to approve of them. Usually they would not care what he thought and continue doing what they wish to do, often leading to Naruto butting heads we a few people that he should and should antagonize. Yet he was asked to help bring understanding and who was he not to try?

"Very well, your majesty, come with me tonight when the Gargoyles awaken. Greet them as you would greet another human and then I shall help you understand," Naruto said, managing to still past the princess, before walking back into the stone castle..

As Naruto walked through the castle's corridors, he greeted both servant and soldier alike. Naruto was well liked among the fortresses occupants, for both his kind words, good deeds, and wise advice for anyone who needed it. Those injured in battle were by the young sage and were able to be back on their feet not an hour after he treated them. Some believed it was magic, like what Magus used some of the time, but Naruto would simply tell them it was his own power, not magic.

"Ah, Captain, making your rounds so early in the morning?" asked Naruto as he approached the Captain of the Guard, who greeted Naruto firmly.

"Ai, I don't want to be caught by surprise again and that mad bastard just might be crazy enough to attack us again. I fear what would happen if they attacked during the day, without Goliath and his clan here to help us," said the Captain as he took a drink from his wooden cup.

"Indeed, it would be best for us to run them off while they are still weak from last nights battle. I'll talk to Goliath when he awakens and see if we can't get rid of them for good. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are still more injured soldiers that need tending to and I will not prolong their suffering," and, just like that, Naruto was gone.

It was no mystery that Naruto spent most of the day trying to regain some of his previously unlimited power. He often dazzled the children with tales of his his past adventures, saying how he defeated men and women of unimaginable power but never without the help of his trusted friends. There was often a lesson to each adventure, telling of how important it was to never give up and to always forge your own path through life. Even some of the Gargoyles listened to his stories, Naruto had even caught Goliath's mate listening from the shadows.

He had already attained his Sennin Modo again, after finally being able to sense natural chakra once more. Now the trick was trying to stabilize it so he doesn't turn into a stone frog and accidentally kill himself in the process. It was a difficult process that required an immense amount of both concentration and patients, not to mention sitting completely still for several hours at a time. Although it was much easier this time that it was when Kurama had kept messing it up because he believed that Naruto should only use his power and his alone.

'Come on dammit, I don't remember it being this hard to master natural chakra!' Naruto cursed as he once again failed to maintain Sennin Modo. It was almost as if something was blocking him from completely accessing his old power, as if it was just out of his grasp and he was mere inches away from attaining it once more.

Looking out over the land, from his spot atop the castle, Naruto could remember the many times he tried to gain back all of his old power and how many times he failed in doing so. Over the last several years, Naruto has come to the conclusion that he was probably never going to return to his home and that he just had to place his faith in Sasuke to finish saving their world. It wasn't something he was proud of doing, but he had very little choice in the matter and he just didn't have the power to help fight even if he could.

When he had first arrived, the young sage found he had the chakra reserves of a Genin, something of which he never had before. However, less power meant that he was able to focus it more and the more he gained in power the more he was able to improve his chakra control. That's how he was able to enhance his strength, just like what Tsunade did to give herself monstrous strength. His staff was also made from the six Gudodama that had come through to this dimension with him. It turns out that they had become almost like the chakra rods that Nagato had used and so they could act like a conduit for Naruto's chakra. They were melted down and turned into a six ringed staff, better known as a Khakkhara, for Naruto to use in battle. Sure they could have made it into a sword, or any other weapon in general, but Naruto felt like having a Khakkhara instead.

"Now who could that be?" Naruto asked himself as he saw a cloaked rider take off into the wilds, headed right for where the enemy army had run off to the previous night.

This was slightly worrying, for if they had a traitor in their midst then the enemy would know when to strike. Now it was extremely necessary to run those barbarians of before they could use such information. Then, once the main threat was out of the way, Naruto himself would track down this possible traitor and bring them to justice. Seeing as he wouldn't get any further in his training today, Naruto found himself walking through the castle's courtyard, where the refugees had taken shelter. Most shot him strange looks, no doubt having never seen someone like him before, and that caused them to be wary of him.

Then, just as Naruto reached where all of the various foods were kept, for anyone to take, he felt something ram into his right leg. Looking down, the young sage found an even younger blond haired boy staring up at him from his spot on the ground. Standing a few feet away were two more children that had stopped their laughing and were now looking just as nervous as the boy on the ground.

"S-Sorry mister," the boy apologized, quickly getting to his feet, before Naruto knelt down to be eye to eye with him.

"No need to apologize, having fun is part of being your age. Now run along before your parents get worried about you," Naruto said in a happy tone, earning grateful smiles from the three children, before they ran off back to their group.

Later that night, Naruto and princess Katharine could be found standing atop the tallest tower in the castle, watching as the sun slowly set on the horizon. Despite being the ruler of the fortress, Katharine found herself standing behind Naruto, waiting for the sun to finish setting and for the Gargoyles to wake from their stone slumber.

"You should relax your highness, they won't harm you," Naruto told the princess, who decided to still remained partially concealed behind his larger form.

"I-Indeed," Katharine stuttered out, but she still refused to move from her spot.

The sun finally set, stone began to crack, a multiple roars tore through the night sky as an entire clan of Gargoyles awoke. Katharine actually jumped a little when the stone exploded off of Goliath's body, but the large grey skinned Gargoyle instantly turned around and gave Naruto a friendly smile.

"Have a good day's rest, Goliath?" Naruto asked, a bit of humor in his tone, as Goliath began to unwrap the bandage around his hand.

"Indeed and I see the castle still stands, I am relieved that we haven't been attacked again," said the mighty Gargoyle just as he noticed who else was up on the tower with them.

"Ah, her highness wished to greet you as you awoke, although I'm afraid that her first time seeing you wake has caused her some fright," Naruto said in a light hearted tone as he moved out of the way and allowed Katharine to cautiously approach the towering giant.

"Your highness," Goliath greeted, folding his wings over his shoulders like a cape before bowing to the princess, much to her own surprise.

"Sir Goliath," Katharine greeted back, doing her best not to let her fear show, but a reassuring look from Naruto helped soothe her nerves.

"Goliath, I need to discu-what is _she _doing here," growled Goliath's mate as she reached the top of the castle as well, growling menacingly at the princess, to which Naruto stepped between them and met the Gargoyle's gaze without so much as flinching.

"The princess wished to greet us as she woke, there is no need for such hostilities," Naruto stated in an even tone and he actually managed to stare down Goliath's mate, something of which Katharine was grateful for.

"I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to."

* * *

**Well here is my second chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: It All Turns To Stone**

* * *

It was true, what Goliath said, they did have more pressing matters to attend to, such as the possibility of another attack come sunrise. If Naruto was the leader of that army they he would have his men attack the moment the sun rises, preventing the Gargoyles from attacking and the guards would be in the middle of their shift change. This left them all with only one option, they would have to chase those barbarians so far away that they wouldn't make it back before the sun set the next night. Oh and the princes had figured it best if she go back into the castle, because they would get nowhere if Goliath's mate kept intimidating her with those glowing red eyes of hers.

"Those vikings could be back at any time, I say take all your Gargoyles and make sure they're gone!" the captain of the guard declared, his need to protect the castle was clear in every word that he spoke.

"I agree, we should go out in force and end these miserable bags of flesh, once and for all!" it wasn't at all surprising to see Goliath's mate agree with the captain, she was not a person to be crossed and attacking her home was possibly the biggest mistake anyone could ever make.

"It would be too dangerous, if you all leave now then the castle would be almost defenceless against an army that large. I advise that only a small group drive them away, just in case it's a trap and they attack once the hunting party leaves," Naruto advised, placing two hands on his staff and leaning against it for support, a sudden weariness befalling him.

"What's the matter?" Goliath questioned, immediately moving to Naruto's side to help him stand up straight, to which Naruto nodded in thanks.

"I must still be tired from the previous battle, my full strength has yet to return to me," Naruto said as he straightened his back and stood under his own strength, noting the concerned looks he was getting from the three people before him.

"You shouldn't tax yourself, if you need rest then you should be resting!" the female Gargoyle growled, unable to comprehend why humans, especially the blonde one before her, had to be so damn stubborn!

"This only further proves my point, the majority of the clan shall remain to protect the castle while I drive away our uninvited guests. I leave you in command until my return," those were Goliath's words before he leapt over the stone edge and glided down to the courtyard, needing to have a talk with his predecessor.

"I swear, the both of you are so stubborn!" the female hissed.

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you very much," Naruto laughed before another wave of nautiousness overcame him, but this time it was the female that helped him keep his balance, proving that she didn't dislike all humans, or Naruto was just the acception to the fact.

"Come, you stubborn fool, I'll prepare a potion to help your pain," said the female, casting one last glance back at the captain before she helped Naruto back into the castle, her right wing draping over his shoulders to help ward off the cool night air.

It was a rather strange sight, to find possibly the most human hating Gargoyle helping the castle's greatest human defender down the hallways. Guards moved out of their way, whispering to one another at the sight, but every time the female went to growl at them, Naruto just shook his head. They weren't worth the energy to get angry at, that and Naruto really needed something to help ease his pain. As they entered Naruto's room, having already picked up the necessary ingredients, the female helped Naruto sit down on his bed before beginning to mix the herbs and liquids.

"How long will it take for you to return to full strength?" the female inquired, never taking her attention off of the task at hand.

"It should only take a couple more hours of rest, but I'm actually more concerned about you. Despite your best attempts at hiding it, using hostility to prevent anyone from looking too closely, you seem to have been worried as of late. Is there something wrong?" Naruto inquired, taking note when the female stopped mixing her potion and a wave of nervousness flooded out of her.

"No, why would you think such a thing?" she asked, once more disguising the slight undertone of worry in her voice, no doubt hoping that Naruto would drop the subject.

Mustering up enough strength, Naruto silently approached the working Gargoyle, using his old Shinobi skills to not make a single noise. The female's nervousness was now confirmed when Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her own skin. Goliath's mate was just about to lash out, her instinct taking over, but stopped her clawed hand inches from Naruto's face. Naruto didn't look scared, he didn't look angry, and he didn't even look surprised, he simply gave her a happy smile.

"I won't ask you to talk about it, you will talk about it when you're ready, just know that I'll be here whenever you do want to talk," said the blonde haired sage before he turned around and simply walked back to his bed, the female watching him the entire way with widened eyes.

After Naruto had taken the potion, the female promising that it would relieve the pain but he would fall asleep for a few hours, the young sage found himself dreaming. While watching Naruto sleep, Goliath's mate watched from his bedside, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I'm so sorry," she silently sobbed before swiftly leaving the room, hoping to get her clan away from the castle before it was attacked again, this land would belong to the Gargoyles once more.

When Naruto awoke once more, it was to the sight of a sword being swung down towards his neck, with enough force to decapitate him in one swing. Yet Naruto's reflexes were more than that of a normal humans, so he was able to slide out of the way before slamming a chakra enhanced fist right into the man's side. The attacker, who turned out to be one of the vikings that had previously attacked the castle, fell dead the moment he collided with the stone wall, his head actually being crushed from the impact. Shaking the grogginess from his mind, the young sage quickly grabbed his staff and ran from the confines of his room.

The castle was under attack once more and, much to Naruto's horror, the sun was high in the sky. That meant that not only could the Gargoyles not help but they were also in grave danger, something of which Naruto needed to attend to before anything else. Killing two more vikings, Naruto dove out the castle window, which was three stories high, and slammed another chakra infused fist into the ground below. Many more vikings died from large rocks being shot at them and one unlucky man was actually in between Naruto's fist and the ground.

"Kill him, kill the man in white!" one of the vikings roared as the mob encircled Naruto, hesitantly poking at him with their spears and swords, for fear of getting too close.

"Make peace with your gods now, because I'm coming for your necks!" Naruto roared before charging at the nearest soldier, grabbing him by his face, and throwing him several hundred feet into the air.

Using the other warriors shock to his advantage, Naruto ripped on of the swords away from them and began to violently hack them into pieces. Just as it looked like Naruto was going to wipe out the entire army on his own, a sword suddenly protruded from his chest, making even Naruto's eyes widen in shock. Slowly turning his head, to look at the man who had stabbed him, Naruto's shock filled eyes turned into that of anger. Standing there, a sorrowful look upon his face, was the captain of the guard, he was a traitor.

"Why?" Naruto asked, blood now flowing out the sides of his mouth, as the sword was roughly pulled from his back, allow him to drop to the ground.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to be this way," he said before darkness claimed Naruto once more, only this time he was close to death.

This wasn't the first time that something had been shoved through Naruto's heart, the last first one being a lightning coated hand of his best friend. Now, as Naruto lay bleeding out on the cold ground, he could only think of how ironic it was that he was stabbed by another traitor and this time he didn't think the traitor would get a second chance. When Naruto's eyes opened next he found himself among the still burning castle with many dead guards around him, their bodies already beginning to stink of death, and that's when he heard a mighty roar from atop the castle.

"I will have my **vengeance!**" the mighty Goliath declared to the heavens, his bat like wings extended to their max and his eyes glowing with a rage that few have ever seen and lived to tell the tale about.

Slowly Naruto got to his feet, holding his injured chest that had thankfully stopped bleeding, and attempting to get Goliath's attention. Sadly Naruto's injury was too close to his heart and a sudden jolt of pain sent the sage back to his knees, electing a cry of pain from his lips. It turns out that Goliath's predecessor had also come back to the castle because he was the one who arrived at Naruto's side first.

"Easy there lad, we thought you were dead," said the old gargoyle as he placed his clawed hand on Naruto's shoulder, helping the sage back to his feet with as much ease as possible.

"The clan, what happened to the clan?" Naruto asked in a pained tone but the sudden sadness that filled the old gargoyle's eyes was enough to make Naruto's heart break from sorrow, he had failed to protect those he saw as his family.

"Goliath and I tracked the vikings out into the wilds but only found a few men with horses, we realized too late that it was a trick. What happened here lad, how did they get inside the walls?" asked the old gargoyle before four more, plus Goliath, approached the injured Sage.

"We were betrayed by someone very close to us Goliath. It was the Captain of the Guard that sabotaged the bows so that they would snap and raised the gate so the vikings could enter the castle. He was the one who stabbed me in the back during the battle, if he hadn't then I could have driven the vikings away by myself. I'm sorry Goliath, I failed your clan," Naruto apologized with as much sorrow as was in each of their hearts, but Goliath just placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and made the last Uzumaki look up at him.

"No, you are not the one to blame, you are not the one who betrayed my clan, but we shall all soon have our revenge. Naruto do you have the strength to fight?" asked the mighty Goliath, something of which his predecessor was tempted to chastise him about, but a green glow surrounded Naruto's injured chest and he stood up straight once more.

"I will make that man wish he had removed my head when he had the chance."

Taking a sword from the battlefield and attacking it's belt to his robes, Naruto walked out to the front of the castle and let out a whistle that seemed to echo throughout the land. From the edge of the woods came Naruto's horse, which had fled from the stables the moment the fighting had begun. Once on top of the mighty beast, with his staff in one hand and the reins in the other, Naruto nodded to Goliath that he was ready. With another roar the gargoyles took to the skies while Naruto and the dog like gargoyle raced across the land as fast as possible.

It took no longer than two hours to actually reach the viking camp, which hadn't even tried to contain its cheers of victory over the Gargoyles that were now no more than dust, or so they thought. Goliath was the first to let out his warcry, a sound so loud that it literally caused many of the vikings to almost jump out of their skin, but that wasn't the worst of it. A thick mist suddenly surrounded the entire camp to the point that the vikings could barely even see three feet in front of themselves. One viking turned when he heard the sound of a horse moving towards him at a fast pace and was rewarded by Naruto's blade cutting his head clean off with a single swing.

"Kill them all!" Goliath roared as he and his fellow gargoyle dove into the mist and screams could be heard not ten seconds later.

While the Gargoyles sought out their revenge, Naruto jumped from the top of his mighty horse and drove his sword threw a man's heart before his feet even touched the ground. With his staff held in his right hand, the last Uzumaki sent a shockwave out of it so strong that it actually made a viking implode from the invisible force.

"You are all going to die, that's a promise," Naruto swore before flipping his sword around and stabbing it into a man's throat as he was sneaking up behind Naruto, the man would take five minutes to actually die from lack of oxygen.

"Naruto, they've chased after the princess!" Goliath roared before taking off towards the cliffs, which was no doubt where the traitor captain and the viking leader went to get her back, and Naruto followed after the large gargoyle.

Naruto ran as fast as his legs could carry him, nearly running just as fast as Goliath in his angered state, and they soon arrived upon an interesting sight. The Viking leader held a blade to Katharine's throat, threatening the princess with death if she tried to run away again. It was only the primal roar of Goliath that drew their attention away and made the former Captain of the Guard grow pale in fear.

"So Naruto was correct, **you **are the traitor!" Goliath bellowed, his eyes glowing white from the sheer amount of untamed rage that threatened to be released upon those who stood against him in the coming slaughter.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way Goliath, the vikings were supposed to take the people and leave your clan in peace!" the former comrade pleaded, drawing attention away from the Viking leader so that he could throw his dagger at Goliath's unguarded side.

Just as the dagger was about to leave the viking's hands, a sword suddenly erupted from his chest, making him look down in shock before he fell to the ground dead. It was revealed to be Naruto that had somehow managed to teleport behind the viking and end the tyrant's life with a single thrust of his sword, leaving only the traitor to be dealt with. Goliath slowly stalked towards his former human friend, his towering from proving just how large a Gargoyle was when compared to a human.

"Goliath...I'm so sorry," the man whispered as he fell to his knees, having accepted his punishment for the betrayal he had brought upon his friends, but Goliath only stared down at the man before grabbing him by his collar and hoisting him up to eye level.

"Death would be a release from this torment you now feel and you have not suffered enough to be granted death's embrace. You will live the rest of your life with the mark of Cain branded upon your soul. You are a murderer, a liar, and a betrayer," Goliath growled before he threw the traitor back to the ground and stalked away, washing his hands of the revenge that would have forever changed him.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked Katharine, only for the princess to wrap her arms around his waist and hold him as close as possible.

"I-I thought I was going to die," Katharine whispered, only for their moment of peace to be interrupted by a mighty roar.

Running back to the viking camp, which no longer consisted of any vikings, Naruto and Katharine gasped when they saw five Gargoyles frozen in stone while the sun had yet to rise. Naruto's azure eyes instantly locked onto Magus and sent him a look that made the wizard freeze right where he stood.

"Oh Magus, what have you done?" Katharine asked as Magus dropped to the ground, while also dropping the very book that he used to cast the spell on the Gargoyles.

"I thought you were dead," Magus weakley said before Goliath hoisted him off the ground the same way he did to the traitor.

"Change them back!" Goliath ordered.

"I can't, the counter spell was burned!" Magus protested and thankfully Goliath dropped him back to the ground before letting out another roar, a vengeful cry for everything he had lost this night.

Naruto watched as they took the solid stone Gargoyles back to the castle, he watched as Goliath asked Magus to cast his spell one last time, and he watched one of his few remaining friends be turned into stone until the castle rose above the clouds. Naruto now stood next to the carriage that was to transport the Gargoyle eggs, but he had no intention of going where Katharine and Magus were headed.

"Are you sure you won't come with us, you don't need to go out on your own," said Katharine as she stood before possibly the wisest man she had ever known, whose gentle azure eyes betrayed just how much he had seen in his life.

"I need some time away from people, some time to heal from what has happened here, but I don't believe this is the last time we shall meet," Naruto said as he placed his hand on Katharine's shoulder.

"I know you may not believe in our religion, but may God watch over you during your travels."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A New World**

"_I've seen many friends die in the field of battle, most of them sacrificing themselves for me, but this is the most my heart has ever hurt. I don't believe in revenge, because that only leads to more hatred. I do believe in justice, and tonight these vikings will face justice."_

_\- Naruto Uzumaki_

* * *

Over the one thousand years that had gone by since the Gargoyles were turned into stone, Naruto has continued to live on. Keeping himself young with the power of the very Earth itself, constantly rejuvenating his body while continually trying to gain back more of his power. Over these years, Naruto has kept one single goal in mind, which was to free his friends from their stone prisons and help them thrive in this new world. He fought in almost every war since then. Naruto was there during the all of the Crusades, the Norman invasion of Ireland, the Mongol Conquest, the Hundred Year's War, both World Wars, the Revolutionary War, the American Civil war, and just about every war in history, even some that weren't mention.

During the time that he wasn't fighting, Naruto had set up his own business, sometime after the first World War and had managed to keep it alive. It all started out as a construction company, to help with the damages of war, but it slowly began to grow. After a specific amount of years, Naruto would fake his death, leaving a will to his "son". No one really questioned it and this allowed him some room to move, then, some time in the last ten years, Naruto mentored a young entrepreneur named David Xanatos. David Xanatos was a young businessman who was founding his own company, which began by selling a rather old coin. Within only a matter of years, Naruto and Xanatos had pulled their companies together to create Xanatos Enterprises, a business shared by the both of them.

In fact, Naruto was just now arriving at Xanatos tower, showing up in his private limo. Stepping out into the slightly powerful gusts of wind, Naruto had abandoned his old robes in favor of a black suit with a burnt orange undershirt, a black tie and a cane that was strangely familiar to his old staff. Still looking as youthful as ever, Naruto walked into the building and boarded the elevator, taking him up to the top floor, where David was waiting for him.

"Mr. Uzumaki, may I take you coat?" asked the ever stoak Owen Burnett.

"No thank you Owen, I'm just here to speak with David about our most recent construction project," said Naruto, waving his fellow blond off before opening the doors to David's office, which was rather large, perhaps _too _large.

"Ah Naruto, I'm glad you arrived safely," David said with a grin on his face, getting up to shake Naruto's hand before the two men moved to look out the large office window.

"I take it that the construction has been completed and the statues are all in place?" asked Naruto, earning a chuckle from his business partner. Gazing out at the bright city, even if there was a storm on the horizon, Naruto still felt amazed than mankind could now build above the clouds.

"Indeed, I was just about to head up there and watch the show. Care to join me?" the rich smooth talking businessman asked, motioning towards the door.

"I've been waiting a thousand years for this moment David, I wouldn't miss it for all the gold in the world."

Following David out of the office, both men began to ascend the steps to the very top of the castle. Naruto almost felt like he had gone back in time, knowing every inch of the castle by heart, even if Xanatos had made some improvements to it, to make sure that it didn't fall of the top of the building.

"You know, five years ago when you told me how old you really were, I never would have believed you without proof. Yet here we are, ascending the steps you once walked. How does it feel?" asked Xanatos, noticing how Naruto ran his free hand along the cold stone, his eyes closed yet never missing a step.

"Like Christmas morning David, it's like Christmas morning."

Arriving at the very top of the castle, Naruto ran his hand along Goliath's stone winds, just as the sun began to set, sinking New York into the black of night. Naruto's heart was currently pounding in his chest, some part of him thinking that it wouldn't work and that all of this had been done for nothing.

"Come on Goliath, don't disappoint me after so long," Naruto whispered to himself as a cold wind blew past both men.

Then, just as Naruto's hope was about to leave him, the stone around Goliath began to crack. The rock suddenly exploded off of him and Goliath roared into the night once more, followed by several others below the. Apparently Goliath hadn't noticed the two humans behind him because he glided down to the lower levels to great what was left of his clan. Casually turning around, both humans walked down a few steps while listening to the Gargoyles celebrating being alive and together again. Then they saw the city beneath them and became horrified.

"Amazing, isn't it Goliath?" asked Naruto walking out of the shadows.

"Naruto?" the leader of the Gargoyles asked, his tone wary just in case this was some sort of trick being played on them.

"Hello old friend, we should all go inside, I suspect that you have many questions."

After arriving in what use to be the great hall, where Naruto had defended Goliath and his mate from the princess's ignorance, Naruto introduced them to David Xanatos. By just looking at the large gargoyle, Naruto could see that Goliath didn't trust Xanatos, and that it was only Naruto's word that kept Goliath from taking back his home, by force if necessary. The traitors of the past had almost completely shattered Goliath's faith in human beings, although Naruto learned that it is simply human nature, with a few exceptions of course.

"How long has it been Naruto?" asked Goliath while the two humans stood by the rather large fireplace, allowing the heat to warm them along with the entire room.

"This may come as a shock old friend, but a thousand years has gone by since that night," Naruto responded walking away from the fire and back towards his old family.

"Naruto here approached me ten years ago when I was just starting my company. He then later told me of your story and his goal of one day freeing all of your from that spell. With a little money and some elbow grease, we completed the restrictions of the spell and now here you all stand," said David casually, although Naruto knew him well enough to know he was extremely fascinated with the ancient creatures before him.

"Restrictions?" the oldest gargoyle among them asked, stepping forward only a few steps.

"The spell was said to end when the castle itself raised above the clouds, not an easy thing to do, even with my own power," Naruto responded.

"What about the eggs, are they safe?" asked the slightly red gargoyle.

"Safe the last I saw of them. The princess told me of Goliath's wish for her to care for them. I stayed behind to make sure no harm would come to any of you while you slept," the old sage said, letting out a tired sigh.

All of this excitement reminded Naruto of the more chaotic times of the last thousand years. That's when Naruto heard it, even if it was still several miles away, a helicopter was currently making its way towards the building and the old sage could even sense the malicious intent from this distance. Someone was coming to take something that didn't belong to them, and David already seemed to be aware of this fact. Naruto didn't much care about what Mr. Xanatos did in his free time, since he was just too old to care, so Naruto would allow David to have his fun.

"Naruto, how have _you_ survived for so long?" asked Goliath, drawing Naruto out of his deep thoughts.

"Roughly three years after that night, I had finally regained enough of my original power to take in natural energy properly, or energy from the Earth itself. By doing so, I was able to slow my aging even more, almost to the point that I don't age at all. In fact, after a thousand years, my body has really only aged about one hour of a normal human," Naruto explained, earning a shocked look from his family.

"So you've, like traveled the world or something?" asked a little yellow gargoyle.

"Indeed, your gargoyle way of protecting others has apparently rubbed off on me. I've spent the last thousand years protecting innocent people and helping those who need it. It wasn't easy to live for so long but it has finally paid off, I now have my family back," Naruto finished, placing his hand on Goliath's shoulder while the large creature of the night did the same.

"Naruto, are we expecting company?" David asked, hearing the sound of a helicopter approaching.

"No," Naruto responded before he suddenly walked out of the room, followed by Xanatos.

"You all would be safer if you stayed in here," said the billionaire said honestly before he continued after Naruto.

The group of gargoyles didn't even have to look at each other to know what they would do next. As one, they walked out to find men in armor pointing strange weapons at both Naruto and David Xanatos. The growl that rumbled out of Goliath's throat was the only warning that these strange people had before the possibly last clan of gargoyles attacked. Goliath was the first to attack, using his powerful legs to launch himself high into the air before landing almost right on top of three of them. One of the strangely dressed men began to fire his weapon at the grey gargoyle, only for Goliath to drop down on all fours and trip the man with his tale.

Naruto himself was casually sidestepping bullets being fired at him like it was nothing. Sure doing this would make him weak for a few hours after the fight but it was great to demoralize your opponent. To make them think that no matter what they do, they can never even hope to stop you. Well this man was no doubt thinking that but Naruto's cane connected with his face put an end to his thoughts, at least until he woke up. In the haze of battle, something that the sage hadn't experienced in some time, Naruto noticed Xanatos get one of the attackers weapons and began firing back at them. Sadly, one of them tackled the man which cause the red beam to hit part of the castle, blowing off rather large chunks of stone, which fell freely to the streets below.

"Goliath, look out!" Naruto yelled, just before a red energy beam blasting the ground right out from under Goliath's feet, sending the creature over the edge and to the streets below.

Running over to the edge, Naruto was glad to see Goliath had caught himself and was now climbing his way back up the building. Having enough of this fight, Naruto's cane suddenly seemed to transform into his old staff and he slammed in harshly into the ground, sending out a familiar invisible force that sent the intruders flying back. This seemed to be just what they wanted because another one of them, who had managed to slip away during the fight, ran out of the castle with a familiar old book, before climbing back into the hovering helicopter, followed by his fellow armed strangers.

"What the hell was that all about?

"Gah, I've never seen weapons like that before, and that flying creature that carried them off!" the brunt red Gargoyle groaned, the fight having taken much more out of him; not to mention they were fighting an enemy that they had no idea how to handle.

"A dragon, without a doubt," stated Goliath's former leader and long time friend.

"I'm afraid you're quite wrong. Humanity had advance much since you were frozen in stone. That was a machine, created by humans, that allows them to travel through the skies with more ease than even a bird," said Naruto as he adjusted his clothing while walking over to his old friends.

"Thank you, all of you. Without you then who knows what those thugs might have done," Xanatos said, his words were a cleaver lie that didn't go unnoticed to Naruto and were barley even believed by Goliath.

"Someone I once trusted said the same things to me and then destroyed my people," it had just occurred to Naruto that, to Goliath, the Gargoyles had no concept of time while they had been stone statues.

"Hm, I can see that I'm going to have to work to gain your trust."

"That being said, David why did those men attack you?" asked Naruto as he turned to face his partner and, in a way, student.

"You should know this by now Naruto, the richer you are the more enemies you have. I'm a very rich man," David said with a bit a arrogents in his tone, only to find himself on the receiving end of Naruto's icy glare.

"Putting all of this aside, Goliath this is your home as well as where I shall be living once more. I hope you'll stay," said Naruto with no lack of hope in his tone; it wasn't every day that you get some old friends back after all.

Goliath paused for a moment, looking around at what had become of the castle his clan had sworn to protect, before looking back down at his second oldest friend. Many things had no doubt changed since they'd gone to sleep all those years ago, but that look in Naruto's eyes was just as it was a thousand years ago. The leader of the Gargoyles had made up his mind in an instant.

"This castle is our home, no matter where it has been taken. We will stay here!"

"Wonderful, I know you've been used porley by men in the past but all that's about to change," David declaired with nor shortage of joy in his voice, but Goliath did not trust the man in the slightest.

"You helped Naruto break the spell that was bound to us and for that we are grateful, but aside from Naruto we shall never trust another human again."


End file.
